A marathon hike

Caremark Redcar and Cleveland staff member Charlotte-Marie Tamkin is gearing up for a marathon hike this summer in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Charlotte, 29, and partner Martin Clare hope to complete the 26-mile hike from Bamburgh Castle to Alnwick Castle in memory of relatives who have been struck down by cancer.

“Almost everyone has been impacted by cancer. My auntie died from cancer in 2020 and we both have grandparents who died as well,” said Charlotte-Marie. “It just seemed the right thing to raise money for.”

Charlotte-Marie became aware of the role of carers from an early age.

 “My mum had struggles and I helped look after her and my younger brother,” says Charlotte-Marie. “From then I knew that caring was an area I wanted to work in.”

After studying health and social care at College and University Charlotte-Marie joined Caremark. She began a carer visiting a number of different people each day and is now part of the live-in team that provides round-the-clock support to customers.

Clients requiring live-in support can suffer from a range of conditions including physical and learning disabilities, psychotic episodes, and behavioural issues.

Charlotte-Marie says getting to know the customer and their interests is key to enabling them to lead active lives. One likes animals so they have visited the owl centre and nature reserves. Another, who is a music lover, enjoys trips to Billingham Forum to see Abba and other stage shows.

“To be a career you need to be able to cope with responsibility, to show empathy and have a caring personality,” says Charlotte.

Charlotte and Martin have already scaled Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike and go on regular treks with a local hiking group in preparation for their summer challenge. People can donate to the charity hike via their Just Giving page.